Ronald Koeman has attended the media in the preview of the first leg of the Cup semifinals against Sevilla. The game will be played tomorrow, Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. at the Sánchez Pizjuán.
Is the goal to score?
Seeing the latest results, Sevilla and we have been winning matches in a row. We have to get a good result. We know them well and they know us. I think it will be a great game.
He has three new kills: Dest, Pjanic, and Braithwaite. How does the body fit?
The casualties are because they are not physically well. I prefer to bring people who are well. This is not the time to take more risks. We lack people, we have many casualties, eight or nine, but for any problem there is a solution.
Is De Jong an option to play central?
It is true that if we put Frenkie as central we are missing something in the center of the field. If we can choose a center, it is better to play with a center there. Without Frenkie in the middle, we lose something.
You said that it is a lack of respect that in Paris they speak of Leo Messi. Rudi García says he did the same with Depay. Is this taken as an attack?
I don't know why they do it. If you want to talk about Leo and his future, let them talk. Now a Lyon coach speaks who seems to like to speak in the press and be a protagonist. Rudi García is not an important man for me. I have to prepare the remaining games; and we'll see.
If they win the Cup, will it be a good year?
It is difficult to answer what a good year is for Barça. We always aspire to everything but we have problems with injuries and we seem to survive a lot of things. I want to highlight the mentality of the team and the character of the players. We lack more competition in positions but we have quality. What we are doing with the casualties we have and the trips … I give this team a ten for now.
Has the team's bar been raised?
The performance has gone up, the concentration, too. We have taken pride to overcome the games. It depends on the people and the mentality. We have to be realist. We are talking about many players and very important players for this team.
Would you like the Camp Nou to be a vaccination center?
It is such an important issue that if we can help, we help. I don't know what the new president will think; but I believe that if you can do something, you have to do something.
Mingueza was a player for the subsidiary but one that has become important. In what aspects does it have to improve?
Óscar is with us and he has improved a lot. He has taken the opportunity to be with us. He has known how to play in different positions and has grown thanks to the help of his teammates. And I have no fear of putting a young man against PSG. He has taken the opportunity with both hands. You must improve when you have to press and when to score in the zone. He has room for improvement, but he is doing things very well.
What are you most proud of?
There have been a lot of things this season, but you can learn a lot from this season even if I'm quite old. We have changed things in the team, in the club, and I think it has been a good path. Give opportunities to young people, try to make a game for the future but without forgetting that you have to win games. And especially after the Granada game. Many culés told me that they had not celebrated goals like this for a long time. That is what makes me proud, that the Catalans live with the team.
Is Umtiti ready to play tomorrow and also for PSG day?
Physically, Samuel is fine. He's on the list and has options to play. If not, we do not carry it. With your history, we are always aware of your physical condition so that you enter or reserve. We are still thinking about his condition but in many games he has played he has shown his quality as a rival.
Does playing at home or away have any significance?
I like to play round at home. Sevilla is an opponent who demands the maximum in many aspects of the game. They are exciting matches.
When do you hope to recover Araújo?
He's going to be out for a while, but you have to wait. We do not put a date. You have to take the freshest players and live match by match.
What happens to Dest?
We have tried but it is in discomfort. We have decided to leave him out and have told him that he has to be one hundred percent to be on the list. It may be against Alavés, it may be against PSG.
How can Sevilla be hurt?
It depends on us. They have a good team, very organized, and with individual quality. That is why they are up. They have a complete squad … and you have to be good with the ball because they are going to put pressure on us. If we are at our level, even a team like Sevilla we can hurt.
He was Zlatan Ibrahimovic's first coach at Ajax. Are you surprised by its performance?
I worked with him when he was 19 or 20 years old. You could see his quality and he has proven to be one of the best forwards and despite his age he is still a very good player. And mentally, he is a winner. And that makes him decisive. What he is doing has been great for many years. And he has won almost everything. He deserves everything, from me.
Do you think Messi is the GOAT of football? The making of the Superbowl put him on that list alongside Brady or Jordan.
It is always difficult because there are different times but what Messi has done is something incredible. The number of goals, of titles. I didn't watch the Superbowl because I'm not a fan of watching TV. But Messi is the greatest in football. It is difficult to compare with Cruyff, Pelé and Maradona but what I have seen in the last 15 years of Messi is very big.